Ahead of the Asian Cup’s opening game on Saturday, here are five well-travelled coaches looking to add to their list of honours:

– Hector Cuper, Uzbekistan –
Cuper is now in the 15th job of a coaching career that has spanned 25 years. The Argentine’s long CV includes spells as boss of Valencia (1999-2001) and Inter Milan (2001-2003), although trophy-wise he has only two Spanish Super Cups — with Valencia and Mallorca — to show for it. Cuper inspired Egypt to the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations but his reputation took a hit after his side lost all three of their group games at the World Cup in Russia. In mitigation, star forward Mohamed Salah was never fully fit. Now 63, Cuper subsequently left the Egypt post and has had an unremarkable start in charge of Uzbekistan, winning two matches, losing two and drawing two.

– Sven-Goran Eriksson, Philippines –
Much-travelled, often maligned but always affable, the globe-trotting 70-year-old Swede’s latest outpost is a tropical archipelago that came calling after former England captain Terry Butcher walked out. Eriksson’s storied career has seen him manage some of Europe’s top clubs including Benfica, Roma, Lazio and Manchester City, as well as the national teams of Mexico, Ivory Coast and England — guiding the Three Lions to two World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006. Eriksson began his reign with the Azkals by reaching the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup, where they were edged 2-1 by Vietnam. He will face a much tougher task just to emerge from Group C in the UAE, where the Philippines will tackle favourites South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan.

– Marcello Lippi, China –
The celebrated Italian led his country to World Cup glory in 2006, but he will need a miracle to lift the Asian Cup with China. The 70-year-old, reportedly one of the best-paid coaches in world football, looks set to leave his post after the tournament. Lippi has a mixed record since taking over the Chinese national side in October 2016. The team enjoyed an initial bounce, but their hopes of reaching last year’s World Cup were already all but over. It has been a difficult past 12 months, with China failing to score regularly under Lippi and winning just once in their last seven matches. In their final warm-up games, held in Qatar last month, China lost to Iraq and were held by Jordan.

– Carlos Queiroz, Iran –
The 65-year-old Portuguese is perhaps best known for being Alex Ferguson’s assistant in two stints at Manchester United. His work in his first spell at Old Trafford grabbed the attention of Real Madrid in 2003, but Queiroz lasted only one season at the Bernabeu when he won the Spanish Super Cup with a squad of “galacticos”. He took charge of Portugal for a second time in 2008-2010, guiding them to the last 16 of the World Cup in South Africa before being knocked out by eventual winners Spain. Queiroz took over Iran — one of the favourites to win the Asian Cup — in 2011. His team won plaudits at the World Cup last summer in Russia, but narrowly failed to make the knockout stages after being drawn in a tough group containing Spain and Portugal.

– Alberto Zaccheroni, UAE –
The Italian can boast a league title in his home country after triumphing in 1999 with an AC Milan side containing Paolo Maldini, George Weah, Leonardo and Oliver Bierhoff. The 65-year-old also knows how to win the Asian Cup — he took Japan to their fourth title in 2011. But a repeat with hosts UAE, who have never won it, would be a greater feat. Zaccheroni, who has also coached Juventus, Inter Milan and Lazio, has failed to convince for the UAE and as recently as September his position was reportedly under severe threat because of poor results and claims of dressing-room disquiet. He clung on, but the UAE’s results remain a real concern for home fans, with a shock 2-0 loss to 158th-ranked Kuwait in their final warm-up.

Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe told AFP on Thursday that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain football's greatest players but that his own World Cup heroics could help crown him the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner.

Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe told AFP on Thursday that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain football’s greatest players but that his own World Cup heroics could help crown him the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner.

Mbappe, 19, inspired France to World Cup victory in Russia with four goals.

One of those came in the 4-2 final victory over Croatia as he became just the second teenager after Pele in 1958 to score in the championship match.

He was also voted Young Player of the tournament and has since become Ligue 1’s leading scorer with 11 goals as Paris Saint-Germain run away with the French title.

Messi and Ronaldo have won the last 10 Ballon d’Or awards and Mbappe believes that they are still the sport’s top A-listers.

“Nobody is doing better at the moment and we can’t say it’s the end of their era because it will only end when somebody else does better than them,” Mbappe told AFP.

However, the young striker added: “I don’t think one of them will win the Ballon d’Or this year because it was a World Cup year, and the World Cup takes precedence.”

While Mbappe thrived at the World Cup, Messi’s Argentina and Ronaldo’s Portugal bowed out in the last 16.

“But if you take the player in the purest form, there’s nobody better yet. This year they were again the best two,” added Mbappe.

“Messi finished the best goalscorer in Europe; Ronaldo was the top scorer in the Champions League.”

Mbappe was speaking to AFP on Thursday at an event organised by watchmakers Hublot, one of his leading sponsors.

The last French player to win the coveted Ballon d’Or was Zinedine Zidane after the national team’s 1998 World Cup victory.

“Frankly, I hope so (win the Ballon d’Or). We achieved something big. It would not be unjust because that is a strong word, but it would be a shame if a Frenchman does not win it.

“We made history and it would be nice to be rewarded.”

Croatia’s Luka Modric, voted Best Player of the World Cup, remains favourite for the Ballon d’Or.

However, Modric is 14 years Mbappe’s senior so the young Frenchman has time on his side.

He will also have time and opportunity to complete his journey from the tough streets of the down-at-heel Paris suburb of Bondy to a life of super-riches.

– ‘Play to win’ –
Mbappe, who will turn 20 just before Christmas, signed for PSG from Monaco for 180 million euros in 2017 in the second most expensive transfer of all time — behind PSG teammate Neymar who cost the French champions 222 million euros.

Off the field, he seems destined to match Ronaldo in the commercial stakes.

Will his initials “KM” match the brand power of Ronaldo’s “CR7”?

“I don’t know because CR7 is something big, he has managed to build his brand and become international,” said Mbappe.

“Mine is not at this stage yet, I’m changing little by little.”

That development into the public consciousness saw him dominate the front page of Time magazine in October with the American publisher breathlessly showcasing the teenage as “the future of football”.

Mbappe said that he will not be satisfied with winning just one World Cup.

When asked what he wants to win next, he said: “All the World Cups that I can play.

“I play to win; if I play four World Cups then I want to win four. We go step by step. I have already won one. You have to prepare and win with your club and with the national team also.

“There are short-term goals before thinking about the 2022 World Cup. But the aim always is to win.”

On being tipped to be the next true superstar once Messi and Ronaldo have retired, Mpabbe added: “I cannot control everything that is done and said.

“There is not just the pitch but everything around it must also be managed. It’s not easy but I’m learning, I’m still learning. I have people around me who help me overcome the challenges one after the other.” (Agence France-Presse/AFP)

Germany’s 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands on Saturday left them bottom of their Nations League group ahead of Tuesday’s away match against world champions France.

Three months after the World Cup debacle, head coach Joachim Loew is desperate for a win at the Stade de France to ease the pressure as a sixth defeat of 2018 would be a new record for a senior Germany team.

Here are five reasons for Germany’s dismal form:

Loew stuck in rut
Despite the woeful World Cup displays in Russia, where Germany crashed out after finishing bottom of their group, Loew sticks by his Brazil 2014 winners — even when past their prime.

The likes of Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels are nowhere near the form which won the 2014 world title, yet Loew lacks the bravery to replace them with up-and-coming talent.

“At some point, Loew has to consider how much longer will it make sense for him to put his trust in established, experienced players,” questioned ex-Germany captain Oliver Kahn, now a TV pundit.

A soft centre
At 32, Manuel Neuer is sadly no longer the world-class goalkeeper he was after twice fracturing his foot in 2017.

In front of him, Boateng, 30, and Hummels, 29, often leave gaps.

In attack, Mueller’s finishing has deserted him and Toni Kroos, 28, often struggles to marshall the midfield.

Loew needs a new spine in his team to rely on, even if the players do not seem to want to see it.

Hummels’ post-match analysis after the Dutch drubbing that “a lot was good” bemused German fans.

Loew was more accurate when he said he needed his senior players to “take responsibility in the final 10 minutes” when the German defence capitulated.

A goal drought
Only ten goals in the last twelve games speaks for itself — Germany are no longer a force to be feared in their opponents’ penalty area.

Hummels claim it was “a mixture of bad luck and lack of finishing” as Germany had no goals to show for 21 shots while the Dutch scored three times with their 14 attempts and hit the crossbar.

Worryingly, there is no hot-shot ace waiting in the wings as Loew gave the 27-year-old Mark Uth his debut in Amsterdam, even though the Schalke forward has yet to score for his club this season.

Split squad
Even at the World Cup, there was a clear division between the young and old factions in the squad.

Of those who won the 2017 Confederations Cup, only Timo Werner, 22, Julian Draxler, 25, Jonas Hector, 28, and Joshua Kimmich, 23, are regulars.

The remaining 2014 World Cup winners still seem to get preferential treatment.

Loew has younger talent at his disposal, like Sane, who too often is given only brief opportunities to show what he can do.

In post-match interviews, it was clear Kimmich and Draxler do not understand why Loew does not turn to their generation to build for the future.

A strong team spirit would have prevented the Germans falling apart like they did against the Dutch.

Germany are mediocre
As daily newspaper Welt bluntly put it on Sunday: “3-0 defeat to the Netherlands – Germany is just a mediocre European nation”.

Sane, Draxler, Julian Brandt and especially Kimmich have talent, but their generation lacks a stand-out star like Kylian Mbappe, who helped France win the World Cup.

Defeat on Tuesday to the French in Paris would leave Germany on the verge of relegation to the B division of the Nations League to face the likes of the Czech Republic, Wales or Sweden — teams currently more at Germany’s level. (AFP)

The World Anti-Doping Agency has been given a green light to lift its ban on Russia’s drug-tainted testing authority after a recommendation from investigators, the global doping watchdog said Friday.

A WADA statement said its independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) had recommended that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be reinstated when the agency’s executive committee meets on September 20.

WADA suspended the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in 2015 after declaring it to be non-compliant following revelations of a vast, Moscow-backed scheme to avoid drug testers.

A WADA report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren accused Russian authorities of running an elaborate doping programme with the full support of the Russian Ministry of Sport and the Russian secret service or FSB.

Russian officials had previously concluded that their doping system failed, but refused to acknowledge claims of institutional involvement.

Tensions within WADA emerged earlier this year over whether Russia had done enough for the sanction to be lifted, with some officials arguing it had not fulfilled a “roadmap” to rehabilitation.

However WADA’s statement on Friday said its compliance committee had recommended reinstating RUSADA after reviewed a letter from the Russian Ministry of Sport.

“This letter sufficiently acknowledged the issues identified in Russia, therefore fulfilling the first of the two outstanding criteria of RUSADA’s Roadmap to Compliance,” WADA said.

It said Russia had also agreed to provide access to data and samples in its Moscow laboratory to WADA via an independent expert.

That pledge fulfilled the second outstanding criterion on the roadmap, WADA said “provided that the Executive Committee imposes a clear timeline for such access.”

“The ExCo will fully discuss this recommendation during its 20 September meeting and its decisions will be communicated publicly,” hte statement.

WADA added that since RUSADA was banned in 2015, the agency and Russian authorities “have been working very hard to rebuild a credible, and sustainable, anti-doping program in Russia.”

A formidable Philippine team will leave on Sunday to compete in the International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships scheduled on September 13 to 16 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation president Jonne Go will accompany the team in the trip funded by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Go For Gold program of Powerful Marketing and Logistics Corporation.

“We have prepared long and hard for this as our team embarks on a mission to show the world what we are capable of achieving,” Go said.

PSC Commissioner Arnold Agustin said he has seen the paddlers train and he believes they are capable of winning.

“You are fighting for honor and country. Just believe in yourself. Do your best,” Agustin told the athletes during the send-off hosted by Go For Gold at the Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate, Manila on Friday.

Head coach Len Escollante has expressed optimism that the Filipinos can face the tough challenge from the United States, Russia, Hungary, Germany and France. Also participating are Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Switzerland, Ukraine, Japan and Puerto Rico.

“I know that my team is competitive and it will give other countries a good fight,” Escollante said.

The Philippines won the 20-seater senior mixed 200 meters and 500 meters and the 10-seater Junior mixed 200 meters events in the 2016 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. The Filipinos also got one silver and two bronzes.

Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric — at different ends of their careers — have dazzled in Russia to help propel France and Croatia to Sunday’s World Cup final.

Four years ago Germany were in the same position, but the holders were sent home in the group stages, while another chance of World Cup glory for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo slipped by.

AFP Sport looks at the tops and flops from a month-long festival of football in Russia:

– Tops –
Kylian Mbappe
Hardly an unknown following a 180-million-euro ($210-million) transfer from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe became a global phenomenon after tearing Argentina apart in a thrilling 4-3 last-16 win.

In scoring twice, Mbappe, 19, became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score multiple times in the same World Cup game.

Luka Modric
Fresh from winning a fourth Champions League in five seasons with Real Madrid, Modric boosted his case to be considered the world’s best midfielder with three man-of-the-match awards before the final.

Modric’s stunning strike was the highlight as Croatia announced themselves as contenders by thrashing Argentina 3-0 in the group stage. He bounced back from missing a penalty in extra-time against Denmark to make amends in penalty shootout wins against the Danes and Russia.

Eden Hazard
It was another case of what might have been for Belgium’s ‘golden generation’, who lost their semi-final defeat against France by the finest of margins. But unlike four years ago and at Euro 2016, Hazard showed his full range of skills on the international stage.

The Chelsea forward scored three times and was instrumental in both a spirited fightback from 2-0 to beat Japan 3-2 in the last 16 and then victory over Brazil in arguably the game of the tournament.

– Flops –
Germany
The defending champions went the same way as Spain four years ago and Italy in 2010 as holders who failed to get out of their group.

Defeats to Mexico and South Korea saw the four-time world champions finish bottom of their section and fall at the first hurdle for the first time in 80 years.

African teams
For the first time since 1982 no African teams made it beyond the group stage. Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco won just three matches between them, sparking concerns over the competitive balance of a tournament dominated by European sides.

Bad luck, though, also played a big part in Africa’s downfall as Senegal missed out on second place in Group H to Japan because of a marginally poorer disciplinary record, while Egypt’s talisman Mohamed Salah’s impact was limited by injury.

Messi, Ronaldo domination over?
Messi, 31, and Ronaldo, 33, may have seen their last chance to win a World Cup come and go as Argentina and Portugal both exited in the last 16.

Ronaldo at least had the consolation of a hat-trick to kickstart the competition into life in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Spain, but added only one more goal and was even lucky to avoid a red card against Iran.

Messi scored just once, against Nigeria, to at least avoid the embarrassment of a group-stage exit, but was no match for Mbappe in the seven-goal shootout with France.

After 10 years of sharing the Ballon d’Or, with five wins each, the time may finally have come for Messi and Ronaldo to be dethroned. (Agence France-Presse/AFP)

A thrilling World Cup came to its conclusion as France beat Croatia in Sunday’s final in Moscow, but there have been plenty of unusual incidents on the pitch and on the sidelines in Russia.

Here, AFP Sport looks at five of the best offbeat stories from the 2018 World Cup:

Maradona’s two-fingered salute
Diego Maradona will always be remembered as one of the greatest players of all-time for his exploits in 1986, but he became an increasing attraction for ridicule in Russia.

The 57-year-old made an obscene gesture from the VIP box to celebrate Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 win over Nigeria which sent them into the last 16, drawing plenty of criticism.

He still managed to keep himself in the limelight even after his country’s exit at the hands of France, claiming that he would turn the team’s fortunes around if named coach, and then being rebuked by FIFA after ranting about the officials following Colombia’s loss to England.

Swiss double eagles
A politically-charged group match between Switzerland and Serbia saw Swiss pair Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka fined by FIFA for celebrating their goals by making a pro-Kosovan ‘double eagle’ gesture which represents the Albanian flag.

Arsenal midfielder Xhaka and Liverpool’s Shaqiri trace their roots to Kosovo, a former province of Serbia where thousands were killed and tens of thousands more chased from their homes during a 1998-1999 conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian guerillas.

Anything Diego can do, Robbie Williams can too
The tournament kicked off with Russia’s 5-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia, but it was former Take That star Robbie Williams who grabbed headlines for showing his middle finger to a TV camera during his opening-ceremony performance.

No one is quite sure why the Englishman was so irate, especially considering he was invited to perform despite previously causing outrage in Russia with his song “Party Like a Russian”.

Neymar theatrics
Neymar dominated plenty of the World Cup build-up with his fight to overcome a foot injury, but it was his feigning of injury that saw him become the butt of many jokes.

The Brazilian star showed plenty of his talent, scoring twice as the five-time champions reached the quarter-finals, but consistently play-acted in apparent attempts to have opponents booked or sent off, even having a dive to win a penalty overturned by VAR.

Photographer’s professionalism
AFP photographer Yuri Cortez found himself literally at the centre of Croatia’s celebrations after their winning goal in the semi-final against England, but kept his cool to snap away.

Croatian goalscoring hero Mario Mandzukic helped Cortez to his feet after he became engulfed by the players, while centre-back Domagoj Vida even gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Les Bleus’ biggest stars delivered in the biggest game of their careers as France defeated Croatia, 4-2 to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe scored a goal apiece as France won the game despite Croatia dominating the title game.

Croatia actually scored the game’s first two goals with Mario Mandzukic gifting France a header into his net in the 18th minute.

France’s lead, however, only lasted 10 minutes as Ivan Perisic turned a set piece into an equalizer with screamer in the 28th minute.

Griezmann retook the lead for Les Bleus with a nifty shot from the spot in the 38th minute to beat Croatian keeper Danijel Subasic after Perisic was adjudged to have handled the ball to give France a penalty kick.

France further padded the advantage in the 59th when Mbappe created an opportunity for Pogba who showed he can launch a rocket whether using his right of left leg.

Then it was Mbappe’s turn to set yet another record as he became the youngest player since Pele to score a goal in a World Cup title game.

The Paris St. Germain striker rifled a long shot past Croatian goal keeper in the 65th minute for a commanding 4-1 advantage for France. But Croatia refused to die yet despite France’s lead.

Four minutes later Mandzukic pounced on ridiculous Hugo Lloris’ error in the 69th minute to inject life back into the game.

Lloris, however, took good care of the ball the rest of the game to make up for his unfortunate blunder and ensure France wins its second World Cup title in the last 20 years.

France’s coach Didier Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a coach. Deschamps, as team captain, won the World Cup in 1998 with Les Bleus.